Strengthened in the Lord
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the
people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,
every man for his sons and daughters.
But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” 1 Sam. 30:6
There was David, surrounded by
his own men in Ziklag as they had returned to find the city burned to the
ground and all their families take captive by the Amalekites. How often have we been greatly distressed,
which means being in such a tight spot we had nowhere to turn? How many times have we felt the grief and
anger and bitterness of those closest to us, because of a decision we
made? We have a choice: either get
caught up in it, or do what David did.
David chose to strengthen himself in the Lord. The Hebrew word for strengthen is chazaq,
and it means to encourage; prevail; be firm; courageous; resolute; conquer;
seize; and valiant. David found that place with the Lord in the middle of a
disaster, no family to be found, city on fire, and his own army threatening to
kill him! He got with God and stayed
with God long enough to be strengthened for the battle, to receive wisdom and
direction on how to proceed. The result
was David overtook the Amalekites and recovered everything that was taken from
him and his men.
When we choose to act as David
did in situations where even our friends are opposing us, we strengthen
ourselves in the Lord and are spiritually sustained. It is noteworthy that the word chazaq is
frequently used to describe battle scenes in the Old Testament. One of the ways David was so richly
encouraged was by the active process of remembering God’s love, His calling and
His promises to David, and all the victories He had given David in the
past. We call these testimonies. When we meditate on who God is in our lives
and what He has done, it is a great source of encouragement! David overcame any bitterness by turning to
the Lord.
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